The present invention relates to inhibiting knotted ties, e.g., shoelaces, from loosening and more particularly to waxy compositions and their use in methods for inhibiting knotted ties from loosening, and applicator devices for applying the waxy compositions to the ties.
Untying of shoelaces is a common problem and practically everyone in his or her life experiences occurrences of shoelaces loosening or becoming untied which can be annoying and even dangerous. The problem is particularly acute with children and athletes. For example, many young toddlers cannot tie their shoes once they become untied. Often, the toddlers will trip over the untied laces and become injured. Athletes, especially runners, commonly have to stop running and tie their shoelaces during an athletic event. Apart from the risk of physical injury caused by tripping over an untied shoelace, time lost in an athletic event, or even during a recreational jog can be frustrating. Furthermore, when one stops suddenly after rigorous physical exertion without cooling down, there can be an increased risk of cardiac arrest. The problem of loosening knots is also encountered with other ties, such as, for example, clothing ties, e.g., sweatshirt hood cords.
A number of factors can cause untying of a bow-knot in a tie, including cyclic fatigue, stress and strain, compression and expansion of the portion forming the bow-knot and/or a length of the tie which passes through the eyelets of the shoe, in the case of a shoelace, the type of bow-knot, type of fiber used in the tie yarn, and the method of forming of the tie.
Proposed solutions in the shoelace art include, for example, the formation of a number of protuberances longitudinally spaced, either along the entire length of the lace, or a segment on each end of the lace intended for use in forming the bow-knot. These protuberances are to help retain the bow-knot, and segments of the laces passing through the eyelets of the shoe, in position and to resist untying of the laces.
In some methods known in the art, protuberances are formed on shoelaces after the laces have been manufactured by weaving, including tubular weaving, braiding, or knitting. The prior art has also suggested that various types of protuberances be incorporated into the shoelace.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,639,481 describes a shoe lace having protuberances formed by sewing a length of special thread repeatedly through the lace after the original process of producing the laces has been completed. U.S. Pat. No. 2,477,151 discloses a shoelace having a strand of round section woven back and forth at spaced intervals through the lace along its length to form protuberances after the original lace has been produced.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,306,515 a different approach has been taken to form protuberances by using metal staples of different shapes along a segment at each end of the lace. The metal staples are inserted in the lace after the lace has been produced. U.S. Pat. No. 5,272,796 discloses the manufacture of a shoelace by weaving or braiding strands having a conventional coefficient of friction with at least one strand having a higher coefficient of friction. The higher friction strand is made in a separate process by impregnating a conventional strand with friction enhancing substances. The impregnated strand is then introduced into the lace at the time of manufacture by a weaving or braiding process.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,247,967 and 5,074,031 describe the production of a slip resistant shoelace using Velcro. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,247,967, a slip resistant binding is formed by attaching male and female Velcro strips or other binding material along opposite ends of a shoelace. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,074,031, the lace is provided only with hook-type Velcro. The patent relies on the natural loop structure of woven or braided fabric to provide the loops with which the hook-type Velcro co-operates.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,110,945 refers to production of a slip resistant lace by providing, in combination with a standard tipped tubular weave shoelace, a plurality of spaced protuberances in the form of knots tied at reselected intervals along the length of the lace. U.S. Pat. No. 3,518,730 employs an approach wherein protuberances are not formed by introducing any special strand or other material. Instead, the shoelace has a thin central core, formed from one to ten parallel strands that are surrounded by oppositely wound strands having less linear extensibility then the core strands. The result is a roughened surface on the lace which resists untying.
In addition to improvements in shoelace design as described above, other solutions to the problem of inhibiting the loosening of shoelaces have been directed to the use of various clips and other mechanical means to secure the knot after the shoelace is tied. Note, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,291,439 issued Sep. 29, 1981, U.S. Pat. No. 4,553,293 issued Nov. 19, 1985, U.S. Pat. No. 4,571,854 issued Feb. 25, 1985, U.S. Pat. No. 4,780,936 issued Nov. 1, 1988, U.S. Pat. No. 4,879,787 issued Nov. 14, 1989, U.S. Pat. No. 4,999,888 issued Mar. 19, 1991, U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,119 issued Aug. 27, 1991, U.S. Pat. No. 5,170,573 issued Dec. 15, 1992 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,946,779 issued Sep. 7, 1999.
The attempts to solve the problem of loosening ties described in the prior art are expensive and have not proven to be practical or effective when applied to conventional commercial ties such as the shoelaces in sneakers and other athletic shoes. Accordingly, there is still a critical need for a practical and inexpensive solution to the problem of knotted ties loosening and becoming untied.
The present invention relates to solid waxy compositions and a method of inhibiting the loosening of a knotted tie which includes the step of applying such solid waxy composition to at least that portion of the tie involved in creating a knot.
The present invention also relates to applicator devices for applying the solid waxy composition to a tie. In one embodiment of the invention, an applicator device having an elongated body which is filled with the solid waxy composition, has an opening through opposite side walls of the applicator""s elongated body to allow passage of the tie through the applicator so that the solid waxy composition is applied to the surface of the tie.
By virtue of the present invention, it is no longer necessary to use replacement ties having special designs or to use clips or other mechanical devices which must remain affixed to the tie during use.